Imagine taking two gourds like these and creating a musical instrument! I will show you how I made my Ipu Heke. It takes a little work and a lot of patience and you too could make your own Ipu Heke.
First, you need to have the correct gourds to make your Heke. You should look for those that are nice in shape. You need to two gourds to make your Heke. One will be quite large, while the other will be smaller in size. The shapes will be similar to each other.
I took my gourds, and washed them very well with a mixture of warm water and Murphy's Oil Soap. Making sure that the gourds were thoroughly wet, I started to scrap off the dirt and the waxy substance that was on them. You may have to use your fingernails to remove some of the stubborn spots. You may also use a Scotch Brite Pad, being careful not to scrub too hard. After you have your gourds as clean as you think you can, it is time to cut off the tops of them.
Now that you have washed your gourds, you must cut off the tops off of them. I used a fine toothed hacksaw to do this. Once the tops are removed, the seeds and fiber inside must be taken out. I just put my hand down inside of the gourds and pulled it all out. Make sure that most of the fiber inside is taken out. If it is left inside, the sound of your Heke will not be good.
Next, I sanded down the inside of the neck of the large gourd. After doing this, I measured from the neck of the bottom gourd to the top gourd. I placed a line, using a pencil standing upright. This would be my final cut line for putting the two gourds together.
Once you have cut the two gourds they should match when placed with the top smaller gourd over the bottom larger gourd. I used a hot glue to put them together. They should fit snug against the other. You can then use either kukui nut oil, or some other oil to shine your heke. I used vegetable oil to shine mine. Your Ipu Heke is finished and ready to learn how to hold it, and play this beautiful work of art.
I decorated the neck of my Heke with a lei of flowers. I also made a cord, that is used when playing the Heke. It is wrapped around your wrist tight, so that you can hold your Heke snug while playing.
I took macrame cord and measured 3 pieces which were about ten feet in length. I then folded the 3 pieces in half and put the loop around my big toe. Once there, I braided the pieces down to about 6" from the end and tied it there. I then brushed out the remaining end. I placed the cord around the neck of the Heke and taking the rest of the cord, I thread it through the loop that I had. I then pulled it snug, and tied it much like a man's tie. This left a long loop that I place my hand through and wrap it until it is snug with my hand against the neck of the Heke. This is how I am able to hang onto the neck and control the Heke while I play this beautiful work of art, the Ipu Heke.
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